Can and opener therefor.



E. GARMAN.

GAN AND OPENER THEREFOB.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1910.

Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

l Zuma/L EOLUMIIA PLANDGIAPH WASHINGTON. Dv C.

ELLA CARMAN, OF KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS.

CAN AND OPENER THEREFOR.

specification yof Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

Application filed November 23, 1910. Serial No. 593,904.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELLA CARMAN, citizen of the United States, residing at Kankakee, in the county of Kankakee and State of Illinois, have invented Certain new and useful Improvements in Cans and Openers Therefor, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to improvements in cans and particularly to that variety of can in which a can-opening device is mounted permanently upon the can andV designed to so cut the top of the can that the top may be easily removed.

The object of my invention is to provide a can of this description with an opener of a very simple construction, cheaply made, easily applied to the cans and which will lie entirely flat upon the top of the can when not in use, the can opener being attached to the can so that it cannot be lost or misplaced.

A further object is to provide a device of this description with means whereby the cutting knife may be forced down into the can to the extent required to make the initial puncture and then may be drawn in a circle concentric to the center of the can to cut the top of the can from the body.

My invention is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a can with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an en larged section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a fragment of a can top showing my can opener in its operating position. Fig. 4 is a detail fragmentary section through a can top, the cutter and the cutter support being in elevation.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to these figures 2 designates the body of a can of any suitable construction and 3 the top of the can, 4 Adesignating a relatively thin section of the can top which extends around the top concentric to the center thereof and which is intended to be cut to permit the removal of the top of the can from the body. The center of my improved can is formed with a shallow depression 5 which is bridged by a strip of metal 6 attached to the top of the can in any suitable wa v givoted to the bridge strip 6 by the rivet 7, or in any other suitable manner, is the cutter-carrying arm 8. This consists of a strip of metal having the requisite degree of rigidity which extends radially outward and beyond the thin section 4 of the can top. The outer end portion of the arm 8 so formed, is cut out as at 9, a tongue 10 being left. This tongue Vis so connected to the arm 8 that it may be turned upward into a position at right angles with the arm, and the tongue may be either turned upward by being bent at the junction .of the tongue with the arm S, or it may be hinged or pivoted at its base to the arm in any suitable manner. In order that the device may be cheaply constructed, however, I prefer simply to bend the member 10 upward when the cutter is to be used. Under normal circumstances, however, the tongue 10 is left in the same plane with the arm 8.

Slidingly mounted upon the tongue l() is the cutter 11 having the form shown in Fig. 4 and having a width slightly narrower than the width of the tongue 10. A slot 12 extends down the middle of the cutter 11 through which passes a rivet or stud 13 attached to the tongue 10. It will be seen that this slot and stud permits the cutter 11 to be shifted longitudinally upon the tongue 10. The cutter 11 has a V-shaped lower end so as to provide a point 14 which may be easily forced into the can, and upwardly and outwardly extending angular edges 15. One

edge of the cutter 11 is cutaway as at 16 to form a cutting recess, the rear edge of this recess being sharpened. The upper end of the cutter is formed with a knob 17 whereby the cutter may be easily operated. This knob is preferably concave-convex and may be formed by stamping the sheet metal of the cutter. I do not, however, wish to limit myself to any special manner of forming the knob 17 in order that the arm 8 and the cutter may lie flush wit-h the upper face of the top of the can. It is to be noted that the cut away portion 9 of thearm 8 has the same form as the tongue 10 and the upper end of the cutter 11 so that the tongue and cutter when not in operation will be in the same plane as the plane of the arm 8.

In order that the arm 8 and the cutter may lie flush withthe upper face of the can top, I preferably form a depression as at 19, this depression having the form of the tongue 10 with the cutter attached thereto, as will be seen from Fig. 3. It will thus be seen that none of the parts will ordinarily project above the surface of the can top, and that thus t-he cans may be easily set one 0n top of the other without injury to the can openers thereon and that the cans will not take up any more space than an ordinary can.

, The operation of my invention is as follows. Vhen it is desired to open the can, the operator takes hold of the upper end of the cutter 11 and turns the tongue 10 upward into a position at right angles to the top of the can. The cutter is then forced downward (a movement permitted by the slit 12) and the point le is forced into the can top, the cut-ting edges 15 cutting a slit wide enough to permit the further downward movement of the cutter. It is to be noted that the cutting edge 15 does not extend outward quite so far as the forward edge of the strip of metal forming the cutter 11 above the recess and that therefore when the V-shaped end of the cutter has been forced into the can the further downward movement of the cutter is prevented by the metal of the can top coming in contact with the upper wall of the recess 16. Vhen in this position the arm 8 is rotated, the operator drawing upon the cutter and the cutting edge at the rear end of the cut away portion 16 cuts the thin metal section 4, thus entirely separating the central portion of the can top from the periphery thereof.

It is necessary to provide some means for holding the arm 8 in its fixed position until the cutter is required for use, and to this end I provide metallic tongues Q0 which are attached to the can t-op on each side of the depressed portion 18. After the arm 8 has been placed within the depressed portion and connected by the rivet 7 to the bridge piece 6, these tongues are bent downward upon the arm 8 and hold it in place, preventing the arm 8 from being lifted or shifted. l/Vhen it is desired to use the cutter, these tongues are bent back upon themselves until they lie practically flat upon the can top and then the arm 8 may be rotated around its pivot 7.

It will be seen that my invention is very simple and that it is thoroughly effective in practice. It will be seen further that a thoroughly sharp edge can be given to the cutting recess 16, which would not be the case were the can cut by the upwardly eX- tending edge 15, and furthermore that this cutting recess 16 holds the cutter in proper position with relation to the can top and does not permit the cutter to rise after it has been moved into engagement. Furthermore, by reason of the fact that the cutter extends upward some distance above the arm 8, the operator is given a` good hold on the cutter so that sufficient strength may be eX- erted to cut the can. It is to be noted that were the cutter not provided with the cutting recess 16. the material of the can top would have to be cut by the upwardly and forwardly extending cutting edge 15. As a consequence, not only would the operator have to draw the cutter around the can, but he would also have to force downwardly on the cutter, as otherwise the resistance of the metal of the can to the cutting action would cause the blade to rise. The recess 16, however, holds the blade in its proper position and the operator after once having forced the cutter into the can to the proper depth, does not have to further press down upon the cutter in the cutting operation. Another advantage in providing the cutter with the recess 16 arises from the fact that the cutter is formed with a slit and that therefore it has a pivotal engagement with the rivet or stud 13 as well as a sliding engagement therewith. If the recess were not provided, a forward movement of the cut-- ter would tend to cause the cutter to rotate upon its pivot. This rotation of the cutter upon its pivot is prevented by the engagement of the recess 16 with the material at the top of the can forward of the cutting edge lying at the rear of the recess.

that l claim is:

1. The combination with a can top, of an arm pivoted to the center of the top, a member hingedly connected to the arm, and a cutter slidingly mounted on said member for longitudinal adjustment to permit the cutter when in operative position to be forced down into the can top, the arm having a recess adapted to receive the supporting member and cutter when said member' and cutter are turned into alinement with the arm.

2. The combination with a can top, of an arm pivoted to the center thereof, a supporting member hingedly connected to the arm, a cutter slidingly mounted on said supporting member for longitudinal movement to permit the cutter when in operative position to be forced down into the can, the arm having a recess adapted to receive the supporting member and the cutter when turned down into alinement with the arm, and the top of the can having a depression into which the arm is adapted to be received.

3. The combination wit-h a can top, of an arm pivoted to the center of the top, a tongue cut out from said arm and adapted to be turned upward into angular relation therewith, a cutter slidingly mounted on the arm for longitudinal movement with relation thereto to permit the cutter to be forced down into the can top when the tongue is turned into an angular position, said arm being formed with a recess adapted to receive the tongue and cutter when turned into alinement with the arm.

4. The combination with a can top, of an arm pivoted to the center thereof, a supporting member hingedly connected to the arm and adapted to be turned down into alinement with the arm or upward into an angular relation therewith, and a cutter shiftably mounted upon the supporting member, said cutter having a pointed lower end and the forward edge of the cutter being formed with a recess, the rear end of Which is provided With cut-ting edges.

' 5. The combination With a can top, of an arm pivoted to the center of the top, a member hingedly connected to the arm, and a cutter slidingly mounted on said member to permit the cutter When in operative posit-ion to be forced down into the can top.

6.- The combination with a can top, of an arm pivotally connected to the center of the can top, the outer end of the arm having a member hingedly connected thereto for movement in a plane perpendicular to the arm, a stud projecting from the member and a slotted cutter mounted upon said member, the studs passing through the Slot of the cutter.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

ELLA CARMAN. [L Sg Witnesses z MYRON F. BAKER, MARY L. BAKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

